Attorney General Alan Wilson announces guilty plea by former Spartanburg caregiver who stole medication

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that Erica Danielle Gilbert Nichols, 29 years old, of Converse, SC, pleaded guilty in Spartanburg County General Sessions Court on September 8, 2022. Nichols pleaded guilty to five counts of Theft of a Controlled Substance in violation of SC Code §44-53-365(A), Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult in violation of SC Code §43-35-85(C), and Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult in violation of SC Code §43-35-85(D). Nichols was sentenced to 5 years in prison suspended to 30 days in jail and 3 years’ probation.

Nichols’ guilty plea stems from her actions while working as a caregiver at an assisted living facility in Spartanburg, SC, between October 2020 and March 2021. During this time, Nichols neglected and exploited five residents of the facility by unlawfully depriving them of their prescription pain medications. Nichols was also accused of unlawfully obtaining and possessing these controlled substances, including hydrocodone and oxycodone, for her own personal use.

The facility reported Nichols’ misconduct to law enforcement and cooperated fully with the investigation. This case was investigated by DHEC’s Bureau of Drug Control with assistance from the South Carolina Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (SCMFCU). The case was also prosecuted by the SCMFCU.

The South Carolina MFCU receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $1,927,636 for the 2022 Federal fiscal year. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $642,544 for FY 2022, is funded by South Carolina.